LL Cool J boldly claims he’s the “most important rapper” ever
While there’s no denying that LL Cool J is a legend of the rap game, he’s now declared that he believes himself to be the most important rapper to have ever lived.
Admittedly, LL Cool J was a pioneer of the hip-hop landscape, landing his first deal with Def Jam Recordings in 1984 when he was only a teenager. At this stage, the genre was very much still in its infancy, and the rapper was at the forefront of establishing the beloved sound that would later take the wider music world by storm.
Furthermore, LL Cool J has widely received recognition for his contribution to progressing hip-hop to lofty heights. Significantly, he’s one of the few figures from the community to be a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and to have won multiple Grammys.
Now, in a new interview with Apple Music, LL Cool J stated his belief that he deserves more recognition, commenting, “I’ma say this humbly but I really mean this, I think one day people are going to wake up and realise that LL Cool J is the most important rapper that ever existed.”
He continued: “I truly believe one day people are going to say that. They’re gonna look, and they’re gonna say, ‘Wow, when it comes to the jewellery – this is the guy who introduced all the diamonds and the ice and the champagne.’ They’re gonna say, ‘When it comes to the love songs, this is the guy who introduced us to love songs and all the love shit.’”
LL Cool J also claimed that he was responsible for introducing the “rebellious bad boy vibes” into the hip-hop world, adding, “When it comes to the G.O.A.T. terminology, they’re gonna say, ‘This is the guy who came up with the G.O.A.T. stuff.’ They’re gonna say when it comes to Def Jam, ‘Wow, this is the first artist that was on Def Jam.’ When it comes to solo [rap] artists, they’re gonna say, ‘Wow, this is the first solo artist to take it all the way around the world.’ I could go on and on and on.”
The rapper proudly stated that he was also responsible for mixing hip-hop with clothing lines by collaborating with brands such as Kangol, and boasted about his sitcom in the 1990s which brought the culture to more eyes, adding, “It wasn’t just doing TV and using rap as a launch pad. When it comes to business… I could go on and on and on and on.”
Although LL Cool J didn’t profess to be the most talented rapper to have ever lived, he does believe that no hip-hop star has had a wider impact on the genre.